The Followers Read online

  The Quermian moved surprisingly quickly for someone his age, but the

  Jedi kept up easily. Qui-Gon followed Lundi into a terminal and watched him

  board a midsize craft. Not knowing where the transport was going, the Jedi

  had no choice but to follow him aboard.

  Once inside the transport it became clear that the vessel was a

  private, no-frills charter. The main hold had been outfitted with close

  rows of seats filled almost to capacity. Both the seats and the passengers

  looked like they had seen better days.

  "Are you going to Lisal?" a voice growled from a dim corner near the

  entrance.

  "Yes," Qui-Gon answered quickly. The ship's destination sounded

  familiar.

  "Tickets?" the voice demanded.

  "Two please," Qui-Gon answered.

  "It's too late to buy them now." The surly captain stepped out of the

  shadows to reveal his bad breath and broken teeth to the Jedi. "If you

  don't have any you'll have to pay double."

  "We'll be happy to pay the regular fee," Qui-Gon replied, calmly

  looking into the pilot's beady eyes.

  "Two at the regular price, then," the captain said. He reached into

  his vest pocket and pulled out two grimy stubs. "You'll have to sit in the

  back."

  Obi-Wan handed the captain a few credits while Qui-Gon scanned the

  crowd for Murk Lundi. He was not sitting with the rest of the passengers.

  But with so many eyes on them the Jedi did not dare search the rest of the

  ship for him. At least not yet.

  Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon squeezed into the back row and sat down. As he

  settled into his seat, Qui-Gon's knees pressed comically against the row

  ahead of him. There was not nearly enough room to accommodate the Jedi's

  large frame.

  Several of the motley passengers ahead had turned to glare at them.

  This is not a typical tour group, Qui-Gon noted. The passengers on

  the charter seemed surlier than the average pleasure travelers to

  Coruscant. Jocasta Nu had warned them that members of the Sith Sects might

  be anyone and that they would be difficult to pick out of a crowd. Suddenly

  Qui-Gon wondered if they had stumbled into the middle of a sect. Why had

  Lisal sounded so familiar?

  The captain struggled to close the ship's doors. After pushing and

  then pounding several buttons he ripped the control panel off and began to

  tug on the sparking wires inside.

  "I hope the engine is in better condition," Obi-Wan observed, gaining

  the Jedi a few more hard stares.

  Qui-Gon wished he had had a little more time to reflect on how this

  mission was shaping up and what exactly he and his apprentice were getting

  into. It was all happening too quickly. This morning they had been asked to

  keep an eye on an influential professor, and now they were suddenly headed

  off-planet.

  In the back of his mind Qui-Gon had a strange feeling that this trip

  wasn't what it appeared to be. He was suddenly filled with a feeling of

  foreboding. This could easily be a trap.

  Qui-Gon stood. Perhaps there was still time to get off the vessel.

  But before he could decide what to do, the captain's swearing turned to

  angry shouts. Someone was screaming Dr. Lundi's name and struggling to get

  through the partially closed door.

  It only took Qui-Gon a moment to recognize the young man trying to

  board. It was Norval, the dark-haired student from the front row.

  The captain did his best to push the intruder back out the half-open

  door. Several passengers crowded around. It was not clear whether they were

  trying to help Norval in or help the captain force him out. Then, in a

  shower of sparks from the control panel, the doors suddenly opened. Norval

  and several passengers fell into a heap on the floor.

  "You'll pay triple!" the captain bellowed, pointing at Norval and

  splattering him and several other passengers with spittle.

  "He won't be staying," said a soft, familiar voice behind the

  captain. It was the professor. In the chaos Qui-Gon had not seen him

  appear.

  "Please take me with you," Norval begged. He grabbed the edge of Dr.

  Lundi's robes. "You need me," he whimpered. "Nobody knows your texts as

  well as I do. I've studied every word. You must show me how to use the - "

  "Guards," Lundi snapped. "Guards, remove this boy immediately."

  Two enormous hangar guards appeared on the gangplank and pulled

  Norval to his feet.

  "You are too old to use it on your own!" Norval continued to shriek

  as they pulled him out of the ship and down the ramp. "You need me!"

  Murk Lundi did not move. Even after Norval's pleas had faded and the

  captain had succeeded in sealing the door, he still stood staring at the

  durasteel hatch.

  Qui-Gon seized the opportunity to leave his seat. He squeezed past

  the distracted passengers, pulling Obi-Wan along with him. They would not

  be leaving the ship. The mission was more important than he'd originally

  thought.

  It looked as though there was a Sith Holocron and Murk Lundi was

  going after it.

  CHAPTER 4

  Obi-Wan tried the door even though he did not expect it to open -

  none of the other doors in the corridor had. So he was surprised when this

  one slid easily into the wall. The stale odor that billowed from the room

  confirmed that although the door was unlocked, it hadn't been opened in

  some time. The musty room would be perfect.

  After motioning to his Master, Obi-Wan stepped inside to look around.

  It appeared he had found an abandoned laundry room. Piles of uniforms

  littered the floor and stagnant water filled two large basins.

  Qui-Gon wrinkled his nose when he walked in. "Good work, Obi-Wan," he

  said quietly as he closed the door. "No one will look for us here." Pulling

  his comlink from his belt, the Jedi Master contacted the Temple.

  "Right to follow him, you are," Yoda said after hearing Qui-Gon's

  report. "Find the Holocron first, we must."

  And Lundi is our only clue to finding it, Obi-Wan thought.

  Bant and Kit Fisto hadn't been able to give them any ideas about

  where the Holocron might be located. Their best option was to follow Lundi

  - so they could take the Holocron from him if he found it.

  Qui-Gon ended his transmission. Obi-Wan could tell that he felt the

  same way. Unless they knew where they were going, it would be nearly

  impossible to get to the Holocron first.

  "We need more information," Qui-Gon muttered, reactivating his

  comlink. A moment later Jocasta Nu's voice echoed in the small room.

  "There have been rumors of Sith Holocrons in existence in several

  places across the galaxy. Lisal, Korriban, Kodai, Doli. Most of the claims

  have been investigated by Jedi teams, but nothing has ever been found."

  "Thank you, Jocasta," Qui-Gon said. "As usual you have been helpful."

  "I'm always here to assist with information. Feel free to contact me

  should you need anything else," Jocasta replied.

  "Of course." Qui-Gon signed off and turned to his Padawan. "Lundi

  must be looking for the Lisal Holocron," he said.

  That's too easy, Obi-Wan thought. "We need to know mor
e. I'm going to

  find Lundi," the Padawan said. He stripped off the tunic he'd worn to blend

  in with the students.

  "Patience, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon reprimanded quietly. "It will take time

  for things to unfold."

  Obi-Wan knew his Master was right. But frustration was welling up

  inside of him. He kicked at the pile of uniforms at his feet until he saw

  one that looked about his size. After holding it against his shoulders, he

  pulled it on. It fit well enough.

  "We will not discover anything tonight," Qui-Gon said. "We must give

  Lundi time to relax, to let down his guard. Lisal is a two-day journey. We

  have time." Qui-Gon arranged himself on one of the cleaner laundry piles

  and prepared to sleep.

  Obi-Wan sighed and did the same. Qui-Gon was right, he supposed. But

  for him, waiting was often the hardest part of a mission. It made him

  anxious. And when he was anxious he could not easily sleep.

  Obi-Wan awoke suddenly. Something was not right. Sitting up quickly,

  he reached out to the Force to try and find the source of the danger he

  felt. When he was sure that there was no one in the laundry facility

  besides himself and his Master, he removed his hand from his saber hilt.

  Beside him, Qui-Gon breathed steadily, either asleep or deep in

  meditation. Whatever had disturbed Obi-Wan did not seem to be upsetting his

  Master.

  Obi-Wan lay back and closed his eyes to try and recapture an image of

  what had frightened him. Had it been a dream? A presence? Just a feeling?

  Pyramid-shaped Holocrons floated in his mind. Certainly it was

  disturbing to think that such potent capsules were at large in the galaxy.

  But he did not think that was what had awakened him.

  The Holocrons faded and another image grew. A figure. Obi-Wan allowed

  his fear to grow with the image. Then he relaxed and let the fear go,

  focusing on the figure. But no matter how he tried, he could not see a

  face. The visage remained in shadow and a feeling became clear - the

  feeling that someone had discovered them.

  When Obi-Wan surfaced from his meditation, he saw that Qui-Gon was

  awake and had been aware of his agitation. "It is a warning," Qui-Gon said

  after Obi-Wan told him about it. "We must proceed with extra caution and

  find out where we are headed. Quickly."

  Obi-Wan laughed when Qui-Gon emerged in the corridor wearing a

  mechanic's uniform. The pants stopped close to the top of his boots, and

  the sleeves were rolled up in an effort to disguise the fact that they were

  at least ten centimeters too short. But Obi-Wan had to admit that nobody

  would recognize Qui-Gon as a Jedi Master.

  "You don't look any better," Qui-Gon chided his apprentice.

  Obi-Wan knew it was true. Wearing the soiled uniform he had pulled

  from the pile the night before, he even smelled like a grubby mechanic.

  "I think Lundi must have arranged for a private room. Let's separate

  and search the ship. We need to find him or his quarters," Qui-Gon said,

  getting down to business. "Do not let the captain see you."

  Obi-Wan nodded and moved quietly down the corridor, away from Qui-

  Gon. He tried doors and reached out with his senses. Lundi had such a

  strong presence that Obi-Wan did not think he would be hard to find.

  After a few minutes Obi-Wan saw the open doors to the ship's bridge.

  Pressing himself against the corridor wall, he paused and listened. The

  captain was at the helm, of course. But someone else was there as well.

  It only took Obi-Wan a moment to realize it was Lundi. But what was

  he doing at the ship's controls?

  Looking around, Obi-Wan quickly spotted a maintenance ladder. It led

  to a catwalk that trailed over the bridge and toward several hyperdrive

  access panels. If he pulled himself along on his stomach, and the captain

  and Lundi did not look up, he could get close enough to hear what they were

  saying. Obi-Wan climbed up.

  "You don't seem to be understanding me, captain," Lundi said in a

  low, menacing voice. "I am not asking you to stop on Nolar. I am telling

  you."

  "And you don't seem to understand that this ship is not going to

  Nolar. It's going to Lisal!" the captain bellowed. He slammed a meaty fist

  down on the controls, sending a small piece flying.

  "But I don't need to go to Lisal," Lundi said, holding his ground.

  Obi-Wan inched farther out on the catwalk until he was almost

  directly over Lundi and the captain.

  Lundi's head moved slowly back and forth as he fiddled with something

  under his robe. The captain followed the Quermian's small head with his

  eyes.

  "I will only say this once more," Lundi said, his head still swaying.

  "The equipment I need is on Nolar. You will stop on Nolar. I will make it

  very worth your trip."

  With a great effort the captain looked away from the Quermian's face

  and down at the folds of the professor's robe.

  Obi-Wan could barely see something sparkle in Lundi's hands - he

  could have had something very valuable. Whatever it was, it seemed to

  change the captain's mind.

  "I'll stop, but I'm not waiting," the captain finally spat.

  "You will not regret it," Lundi growled back.

  CHAPTER 5

  The ship landed on Nolar within an hour. Obi-Wan barely had time to

  find his Master and brief him on what he'd heard on the bridge.

  After Lundi quickly disembarked on Nolar, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon pushed

  their way past the puzzled captain. The Jedi followed as the professor made

  his way into a tiny, adjoining hangar. There was one small ship inside, and

  Lundi spoke briefly with its pilot before leaving the hangar.

  "It looks like he just booked continuing passage," Obi-Wan said

  thoughtfully as the Jedi followed Lundi into the city. "But I was under the

  impression that Nolar was his final destination. Where do you think he's

  going?"

  Qui-Gon let out a slow breath. "We shall soon see."

  The capital city of Nolari was bustling. There was a great deal of

  both air and foot traffic. The city was populated by beings from many parts

  of the galaxy.

  Obi-Wan tried to stay close to his Master, who strode purposefully

  ahead.

  It wasn't difficult to keep track of Murk Lundi. His long neck,

  multiple arms, and tiny head made him an easy visual target, even in a

  densely populated metropolis like Nolari. But it was not long before an

  uneasy feeling came over Obi-Wan. He sensed that someone or something was

  following them. But what, or who?

  Without slowing down, Qui-Gon turned back to his apprentice. "Stay

  close to me," he said quietly. "I think we are being followed."

  "I feel a presence too, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "But I am not

  getting any sense of who it might be."

  Qui-Gon began to move more quickly through the crowds. Obi-Wan was

  accustomed to his Master's long, powerful strides, but he found it

  difficult to move inconspicuously. In spite of the varied populace, their

  smelly mechanics' uniforms seemed to stick out.

  Looking fleetingly over his shoulder, Obi-Wan suddenly spotted their

  pursuer - a humanoid fig
ure wearing a long cape and a helmet.

  "I see him, Master," Obi-Wan spoke quietly. "About forty paces behind

  us, to the right."

  Qui-Gon nodded curtly. "We're going to have to split up," he said. "I

  will follow Murk. You should lead our new friend away from me, and then

  double back to see who he or she is."

  Obi-Wan nodded. He looked over his shoulder a second time. By the

  time he cast his eyes forward again, Qui-Gon had disappeared into the